NJ.

IT IS ONE OF THE MOST HIGH-PROFILE POET ON THE PLANET.

HE'S WORKING WITH A LIST ARTIST INCLUDES KANYE WEST, JAY Z AND OF COURSE, BEYONCE EVEN GAVE JOHN LEGEND HIS NAME USED TO BE JOHN STEVENS.

ALSO JUST WON HIS 3RD GRAMMY FOR HIS SPOKEN WORD ALBUM, THE LIGHT INSIDE.

AND LAST YEAR HE EVEN PERFORMED AT THE UNITED NATIONS.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF THAT.

>> IT IS OUR HUMAN RIGHTS.

SO REPORTS ARE TRUE.

TO WRITE OUR STORIES.

TO PROTECT THE VOICES OF THE AND THE OLD.

BUT FOR THOSE THAT DISAGREE.

BUT YOU WILL NOT.

NEWT.

OUR HEARTS.

YOU WILL NEVER SILOAM.

HOW SOME >> STRONG WORDS.

JOINING US NOW AJ IVY.

WELCOME BACK.

THANKS FOR JOINING THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

SO TO BE HERE, I WANT TO COME BACK TO THAT PERFORMANCE AT THE UN IN JUST A LITTLE BIT.

BUT FIRST, 3RD, GRAMMY, HOW DID THAT FEEL LIKE A JIMMY JAM JUST ME A YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN FLOWN ALONG IS THE MY CLOUD WHEN I WALK.

AND I DO KNOW IS THAT YES, A LITTLE SOME OF THE CREW STARTED COUGHING.

HAHA.

>> IS IS BEEN A TO START.

>> THE HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AND AND AND TRAINED ABOUT REACHING CERTAIN POINTS TO BE HERE AND HAVE ALMOST LIKE THE GRAMMYS OF ALL PLACES HERO LIKE JIMMY JAM AND A NEW STATUE.

WAS THIS IN IN YOUR SPEECH, YOU TOASTED POETS WHO SOUNDED AN ALARM TO WAKE UP THE SPIRIT.

>> WHAT DID YOU WANT TO SAY?

WOULD YOU WANT PEOPLE TO HEAR?

>> I WANT PEOPLE HERE LOVE.

PEOPLE TO REFLECT ON THE BEAUTY IN ALL OF US.

THE LIGHT INSIDE OF ALL OF US.

WE LOOK AROUND THE WORLD.

WE SEE OF THE THAT OR MORE THAT HAPPENS.

AND YOU KNOW, ENOUGH OF IT ENOUGH.

WE NEED MORE BALANCE.

WE NEED MORE LOVE MORE LIKE MORE.

JOY IN THE WORLD.

FOUND THAT POETRY IS A A VERY HEALING TO A WAY TO AND LIGHTEN THE SPIRIT NOT DOWN WALLS AND CONNECT THIS.

SO ME MY JOB AS A POET, MY RESPONSIBILITY IS TO CONTINUE TO CREATE AND HOPES THAT WE CAN CONNECT.

>> YOU ALSO SAID THE WORLD NEEDS MORE POETS HOW CAN THE REST OF US TAP INTO THAT INNER POET?

>> I MEAN, FOR ME IS SIMPLE.

THIS IS LIKE MEDITATION ACQUIRED TAKE DEEP BREATHS TO NOT LISTEN.

LISTEN TO THOSE VOICES I LISTEN TO DO.

YOU KNOW, TO MY SPIRIT, HEART.

AND, YOU KNOW, I LISTENED WITH A PEN IN MY HAND AND I DOCUMENT WHAT I HEAR.

I CATCH THOSE AS FAST AS I CAN.

AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANY AND EVERYBODY, EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT LOOKING TO CAREERS, POETRY IS GREAT TO.

>> GET THOSE FEELINGS OFF SO RIGHT, THOSE DOWN FEELINGS.

THOSE STORIES, THOSE AT THE IS DOES WRITE IT DOWN, WRITE IT DOWN BECAUSE A LOT OF POWER AND THOSE WORDS.

>> YOU'VE ALSO YOU'VE OFTEN TALKED ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF YOUR TEACHER.

PAUL AS WELL AS YOUR MOTHER.

WHEN WAS IT THAT YOU REALIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU HAD A TALENT TO GET A GIFT?

>> YES, SO MY MY TEACHER MISS ARE YOU MY JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, MADE THE CLASS RIGHT UP ALL THE HOMEWORK AND THEN THEY SAY SHE SURPRISES.

EVERYONE MAKES BY PALMA FROM THE CLASS OUTSIDE LOW SELF ESTEEM CONFIDENCE TO READ THIS PALM WHERE SHE GIVES ME A ONE GETTING A'S AND >> THEY WERE JUST A IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE A NICE SPEAKING VOICE NO ONE EVER TOLD ME THAT NEVER EVEN PAID ATTENTION TO MY VOICE AS A INSTRUMENT OR OR A TOOL.

>> YOU KNOW, SHE'D MADE ME DO THIS SHOW FOR SHOW DID I GOT A STANDING OVATION AND LIFE IMMEDIATELY CHANGE AND MEANWHILE, MOTHER WAS SHE SUPERVISOR AT HER DIALYSIS UNIT.

SHE'S A RETIRED NURSE SOUTH.

THE LADY MY MOM GOT RAPPER >> PUT OUT THESE NEWSLETTERS EVERY MONTH.

SO SHE HAD THE RIGHT UP HOME TO PUT OUR NEWSLETTER.

SO ESSENTIALLY MY MOTHER WAS MY FIRST PUBLISHER.

YOU KNOW, SHE TAUGHT ME LIKE REALLY HAVE A GIFT.

AND THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME HERE AND THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU STILL.

HAVE, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES TIME TO BUILD THAT CONFIDENCE IN KNOW THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL.

BUT IT WAS ENOUGH TO KNOW I HAVE PURPOSE AND IT WAS AND THAT PURPOSE WAS WAS MY NORTH STAR I LOVE PHILAE NOW IS GETTING FROM FROM WRITING FROM BEING ON STAGE FROM THE SHARING.

AND I JUST KEPT US ON THAT THAT PHIL AND THEN OUTSIDE.

YEAH, THIS IS YOU ARE YOUR STORY.

THAT MISS ARGUE ALSO SORT OF ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES THE POWER IN THE IMPACT OF OF A GOOD TEACHER.

BECAUSE WE MIGHT NOT BE HERE.

HAD SHE INSPIRED YOU AT THE TIME >> YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE WHEN YOU'RE WORKING, WHEN YOU'RE WRITING, DO YOU EVER HAVE SORT OF A CLEAR IDEA OF WHAT STORIES YOU WANT TO TELL OR IS IT ALL JUST KIND OF DEPENDING LIKE SORT OF WHAT'S ON YOUR BOTH BOTH SOMETIMES IS.

>> JUST BEING A FREE AND, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES STOPS.

JUST COME TO ME.

YOU KNOW, ALLY MAY JUST POP IN MY HEAD AND ALL RIGHT.

THAT DOWN THAT LINE MAY END UP BEING THE HOOK FOR THE ENTIRE PIECE.

SOMETIMES PEOPLE APPROACH ME AND SAY I HAVE THE SONG WILL HAVE THIS PROJECT WORKING ON THIS.

THIS COMMERCIAL LIKE RECENTLY DID SOMETHING WITH THE JORDAN BRAND.

BUT WE WE HAVE THIS THIS PIECE.

THIS IS THE DIRECTION WE WANT TO GO.

AND THEN I WRITE UP HOME TO, YOU KNOW, GET THOSE DOWN THERE JUST AREN'T ANY SO SO REALLY JUST THE PAN IS, YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO BE OPEN WITHIN A LET IT FLOW.

HOWEVER, IT MAY COME.

BUT THE GOAL IS TO WRITE A PAUL CAUGHT.

I NEED TO WRITE AND AS I WANT TO HIT, YOU NEED TO WRITE IT DOWN.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S THAT'S THE YEAH.

>> THOSE SO WE PLAYED THAT OF THE YOU PERFORMING AT THE UNITED NATIONS.

THAT WAS LAST YEAR TO PRESS FREEDOM DAY IN UNUSUAL GIG FOR A TO BE AT THE UN.

HOW DO YOU TRY TO REACH AUDIENCES THAT MAY NOT BE IN THE POETRY WHO MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME ISSUES ON THE RADAR AS YOU FOR ME OF.

>> I'VE DEVELOPED THIS CONFIDENCE IN KNOWING THAT IF FEEL THAT OTHER PEOPLE FEEL IT WHEN I'M IN THE THE CONFINES OF MY HOME ALL RIGHT.

SAY ALL RIGHT, A LINE AND AND AM I ALLOWED WRITE A LINE THAT MAKES ME LAUGH LATE A PERFORMANCE.

THE SAME PLACE LAST AUDIENCE AS WELL.

SAME PLACE.

WHY LAUGHTER ON HIS WHAT IS TAUGHT ME IS I FEEL IT OTHER PEOPLE WILL FILL IT.

SO WHEN IT COMES TO TO ISSUE IMPORTANT MATTERS OF THE HEART, I KNOW ONE WE'RE ALL HUMAN.

WE ALL CONNECTED.

WELL WITH WHAT ALL SPIRITS HAVING A HUMAN EXPERIENCE TOMORROW WHEN THAT GETTING FOLKS TO IT IS